Romanesque
The first building phase of the Lorch Monastery Church (Klosterkirche) began around 1100 and was probably completed by the middle of the 12th century. The spiritual and structural center of the monastery was erected as a three-nave, flat-roofed pier basilica over the floor plan of a Latin cross. The monumental main body of the building radiates a typical unpretentiousness and peacefulness typical for the age.
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The Romanesque sculptures on the piers of the square chancel were created in the monastery's second building phase in the early 13th century. They emphasize the central space of the nave and are richly adorned with typical Romanesque decorations in the capital area. In addition to geometric and plant ornaments, impressive animal ornamentation can also be found there. In the 19th century the western piers of the square chancel were remodeled.
Late Gothic
In 1469 the chancel of the Romanesque monastery church was renewed. For this purpose the apse was torn down and the chancel area raised. Today, in addition to this major change to the chancel, above all the ribbed vault of the transept, the square chancel and the northern cloister wing evidence the gothic alterations to the monastery.
After the Hohenstaufen graves were opened in 1475, Abbot Nikolaus Schenk von Arberg had the mortal remains interred in a sarcophagus by an artist from Göppingen. This richly sculpted stone coffin with its ornate lid, which shows the Hohenstaufen coat of arms, stands in the nave of the Lorch Monastery Church.
Baroque
The abbot's room, a corner room located in the northwest of the dormitory building on the 2nd floor, was decorated by an unknown painter in 1687. He adorned the wood paneling on the South wall with emblematic pictures illustrating abstract terms such as Power and Government. Graphics from books that developed from light-dark contrasts in the style of the age served as the basis. The original panel paintings has been preserved until today.
Historicism
Until 1488 two round towers flanked the West Building (Westbau) of the monastery; these served as a bell towers and staircase towers for the upper rooms under the roof. Following the collapse of the first tower, the second burned down to the lower level of the West Building walls in 1525. In 1880 and 1881 this tower rebuilt to a height of 38 meters and a small belfry was erected in its tip. The Marsilius Tower (Marsilius-Turm) is said to have its name from a Merovingian duke, of whom, however, there is no historical record.